Medical error disease

Medical error disease

Nursing

T.D is a 44-year-old male who displays several symptoms. He has general body weakness, dizziness, and even shortness of breath. He feels lightheaded, reduced ability to exercise, and chest pains. He also suffers from palpitations. Palpitations could be described as sensations of an uncomfortable, irregular, and racing heartbeat. They may also cause a flip-flopping chest (Virgadamo,  Charnigo, Darrat,  Morales, & Elayi, 2015).  The patent went to see a doctor, and it was discovered that he had persistent atrial fibrillation. His heart rhythm did not go back to normal on its own when the individual had persistent atrial fibrillation. He has prescribed some medication to help in restoring the heart rhythm.  He was prescribed with Digoxin drugs, and he was also given Digoxin.

Digoxin is a drug that is primarily used in treating heart failure. It is often used alongside other medications. The drugs were administered to a patient who was suffering from atrial fibrillation, which is a form of irregular heartbeat. A healthy heart rate is about 50 to 100 beats per minute. An irregular heartbeat often occurs when the pulse is below or even more than the normal rate. The patient can move and exercise easily after taking the drugs, and it also helps in improving the strength of the heart. Treating an irregular heartbeat is essential since it helps in enhancing the ability that one has to exercise (MacLeod-Glover, Mink, Yarema & Chuang, 2016). Digoxin belongs to the cardiac glycosides class, and it mainly works by affecting some minerals like Potassium and sodium that are in the heart cells. It further helps in reducing strain on the heart, also helping to maintain a steady, reliable, as well as a normal heartbeat.

The patient can sue Digoxin in several ways. He can take it by mouth with or without food. The drugs are often made once daily, as directed by the physician. If the patient is prescribed to use the liquid form of the drug, the dose has to be carefully measured using a dropper that the manufacturer provides. Nonetheless, the patient should not use a household spoon to take the drug since it may facilitate incorrect dosage. If the patient is eating high fiber foods, the body may not have the ability to absorb the drug. Some of the medications should not be used when the patient is using Digoxin (MacLeod-Glover, Mink, Yarema & Chuang, 2016). Thus, this medication should be taken at least two hours before or even after eating high fiber foods such as bran. If one is taking Psyllium, Colestipol, and Cholestyramine, the patient has to wait for at least 2 hours after they take a dose of Digoxin before taking these products. If they are taking antacids, magnesia milk, metoclopramide, kaolin-pectin and antacids, aminosalicylic acid, and sulfasalazine, they should not be taken close to the time a person is taking Digoxin if the patient is unsure if the drug usage, he can ask the pharmacist.

The dosage of Digoxin is primarily based on the age of the patient, body weight, condition, results from the laboratory tests, and response to treatment. The medication should be taken at the same time each day, and people should not stop taking the medication before consulting the doctor. Nevertheless, some heart conditions may also worsen; that is why the patient should consult the doctor often. If the condition does not improve but continues to worsen, the individual has to tell the doctor. Digoxin is a drug that is derived from the leaves of the digitalis plant. It makes the heartbeat stronger, and the heart also gets a regular rhythm.

Asides from taking Digoxin, the patient should also exercise. He should try to go for walks as a way of making the heart stronger. T.D should cooperate with the caregivers to make sure that he gets better. The condition he has is critical, and if it goes untreated, it could lead to a heart failure that could lead to the death of an individual. The drug has not been proven to be affected by any state regulation.  There are ethical and legal implications of the scenario on all stakeholders. The prescriber has to ensure that the drug prescribed has no severe side effects on the individual.  The pharmacist must sell the correct drug that has been prescribed to the patient. Nonetheless, the patient has to follow the dosage that has been prescribed. The patient’s family also has a role to play, whereby they conduct follow-ups on the patients’ health, and they also have to ensure that the patient follows the prescriber’s instructions.

Disclosure and nondisclosure strategies could be identified in the scenario selected.  Disclosure helps in the maintenance of a strong bond between the patients and the physicians.  This can be identified if the patient is in constant communication with the physician.  Constant communication suggests that there has been a   good rapport between these two individuals.  Disclosure is present since the patient where the patient is respected and cared for by the medical practitioner (Guillod, 2013). On the other hand, nondisclosure can also be identified in the scenario whereby the patient as not informed about his condition initially, but he was only given medication. He has a right to know about the condition, and it was unfair for him to be treated without knowing his health status. As an advanced nurse practice, the strategies to be used in decision making involved the act of providing culturally competent care to the patient despite the differences that exist and even making decisions after consulting the patient and his or her family (Gorgich, Barfroshan, Ghoreishi & Yaghoobi, 2016). Medical errors can be minimized by getting pharmacists to be directly involved in the treatment of the patients, the structure of handoff conversations should also be adopted to control miscommunication, and the medical practitioners should work in a bid to reduce infections.